World Cup

Jill Ellis has been rewarded for leading the U.S. women to the World Cup title with a contract extension. Next challenge: the Olympics. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Wednesday that Ellis had agreed to a multi-year extension. That leaves Ellis in charge as the Americans prepare for the 2016 Olympics...

On the Pitch Blog

Defense didn’t cut it, so Orlando City brought in new defenders at the beginning of the year. Goals didn’t come, so Orlando City signed a goal-scorer midseason. Creativity and connections in the midfield lacked, so Orlando City went out and got Yoshimar Yotún, a highly skilled and versatile Peruvian...

More World Cup

Josee Belanger's big left foot propelled Canada right into the Women's World Cup quarterfinal on home soil, with her goal in the 52nd minute lifting the tournament hosts past Switzerland 1-0 in a knockout-round match Sunday. Belanger, back at her preferred forward position following a three-game...

Wang Shanshan scored early and China held on to stay alive at the Women's World Cup with a 1-0 knockout-round victory over upstart Cameroon on Saturday. China, ranked No. 16 in the world, will play the winner of Monday night's game between the United States and Colombia. A number of players from...

The U.S. advanced to the knockout round of the women's World Cup on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria to secure the top spot in Group D. The team will find out who it will play in the second round after Wednesday's final four group matches are decided. Here's a rundown of the seven teams...

Abby Wambach is used to scoring with her head. She's not sure how she got her latest goal. "I think it was my shin guard, to be quite honest," she said. "I'm not 100 percent sure." Doesn't really matter to Wambach. What does is that she scored, pulling the U.S. national team to a 1-0 victory over...

First Nigeria was the darling of this Women's World Cup, dancing and singing its way to a surprising draw with powerful Sweden, during which Nigeria's coach, Edwin Okon, knelt to pray after every goal. Then it became the tournament's villain, with reserve defender Ugo Njoku drawing a three-game...

Eugenie Le Sommer scored her first women's World Cup goal and France beat England, 1-0, on Tuesday in rainy Moncton, New Brunswick. Le Sommer scored her 45th career international goal in the 29th minute. Gaetane Thiney forced a turnover by England and Le Sommer won the loose ball, took two touches...

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't impressive. But the U.S. team's performance in its women's World Cup opener Monday was effective, producing a 3-1 victory over Australia that moves the Americans a big step closer to the second round. So all in all it was good day, with Megan Rapinoe scoring a goal...

Ray Rice has made some bad decisions in his life. Among the worst was becoming a male football player. If he were a female soccer player, he could slug just about anyone he wants. The proof was in goal Monday night as the U.S. took on Australia in the Women's World Cup. Everybody knew Hope Solo...

The Women's World Cup is only three days old, but already a Cinderella team has emerged. Cinderella, you'll remember, was a likable if tenacious underdog who played a little over her head. And that description certainly fits the national team from Nigeria, which rallied to tie heavily favored Sweden,...

U.S. Coach Jill Ellis blamed the team's early struggles in Monday's women's soccer World Cup opener on nerves since eight players on the team were making their World Cup debuts. But one player she said she didn't have to worry about was midfielder Megan Rapinoe. And Rapinoe rewarded that confidence...

Aya Miyama scored on a penalty kick in the 29th minute as defending Women's World Cup champion Japan opened with a 1-0 win over newcomer Switzerland in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night. Miyama's penalty, on a low shot to the left side of the goal, came after Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle...

Cameroon scored three goals in a nine-minute stretch late in the first half and routed Ecuador 6-0 Monday at Vancouver, British Columbia, in the Women's World Cup debuts for both nations. Gaelle Enganamouit had a hat trick for 53rd-ranked Cameroon, which converted three penalty kicks. Enganamouit...

Francisca Ordega's 87th-minute goal pulled Nigeria into a 3-3 tie with Sweden in a Women's World Cup match on Monday. Linda Sembrant came off the bench to put Sweden ahead 3-2 before Ordega's drive sailed between goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl's legs. While Ordega celebrated with her teammates, Nigeria...

Celia Sasic scored the fastest hat trick in Women's World Cup history, completing it by the 31st minute, and Anja Mittag added three more goals to spark top-ranked Germany to a 10-0 victory over Ivory Coast on Sunday in a Group B match — the second-most lopsided win in event history. Germany used...

Shannon Boxx has vivid memories of the last women's World Cup. And not just because the U.S. lost. Rather, it was how the Americans lost that proved impossible to forget, with the U.S. twice blowing one-goal leads before falling to Japan on penalty kicks. "We were so close," Boxx said, drawing...

Norway dominated Thailand, 4-0, to open Group B play at the Women's World Cup on Sunday. No. 11-ranked Norway, the 1995 world champion, scored in the 15th minute when Trine Ronning bent a free kick around a wall of Thai defenders to beat goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing. Isabell Herlovsen added a pair...

The U.S. national team has been pointing toward this month's World Cup for nearly four years. So now, with Monday's group-play opener against Australia just a day away, many players have grown tired of waiting. "I need it to start," defender Becky Sauerbrunn said Saturday. "Up until that first...